Wednesday Is Prince Spaghetti Day

[lordkenmore]

"Watch any PBS/BBC period programme (Upstairs/Downstairs (both new and old series), Downton Abbey, Jeeves & Wooster, etc... and you'll see everyone from royalty to upper middle class (if not even middle class) eating using their knives in left hand to *push* food onto a fork held in right hand."

But those are all British programs. In America, the "official" right standard is the knife is only used when cutting. Miss Manners once told me--and all her other Gentle Readers--something to the effect that our system is much more refined, since its further removed from practicality. Or something along those lines.

Although it probably doesn't pay to get too picky these days... It's probably not hard to find a starving dog that will eat with more decorum than many people in the modern world do.

 

[appnut]

SOMETIMES I end up using my knif to help "push": food onto the fork.  Have a coordination problem at times when it comes to eating.  Of course, I've seen individuals obtain a dinner roll and use the roll for said endeavor too.   And given I"m left-handed, the knife is in the right hand lol. 

 

[danemodsandy]

Here's Emily:

"The knife may also be used as a "pusher," if necessary. It is held in the left hand in the same position as when cutting with the right ..."

That's from the 1995 edition, authored by Peggy Post, based on the original works by Emily. I have the 1946 edition, written wholly by Emily, and it's in that one, too.

Here's a Google Books link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=04...AEwAg#v=onepage&q=emily post etiquette knife%

 

[danemodsandy]

Appnut:

Your use of bread as a pusher is very correct. Emily's original 1922 Etiquette mentions only bread; her approval of the knife came in later editions.

Emily didn't loosen up lightly, either. She was a very practical lady, and a very human one, but she took her position as America's doyenne of propriety very seriously.

 

[foraloysius]

In the north west part of the European continent one always eats with two hands. No cutting in advance, that is cosidered very low class. The knife is in the RIGHT hand, the fork in the LEFT. One doesn't cut potatoes with a knife, those are to be cut with the fork.

 

[frigilux]

Whoops, my bad! Thanks for the correction, kids. I will now gather the shards of my personal integrity and shut the f@ck up on the topic of table manners 'til I pass a refresher course, LOL.[this post was last edited: 12/4/2012-01:00]

 

[foraloysius]

Refresher course...

A great uncle of mine had a stick lying on the lamp above the dinner table. When one of the kids didn't behave well he had it right at hand...

 

[frigilux]

This week's Newsweek (in one of its final print editions before it goes all digital) has a story about climate change and how it will bring on a pasta shortage as areas that grow durum wheat, both in Europe and the US (North Dakota, specifically), are becoming too wet and warm to grow the finicky stuff.  Eastern ND, once the bulls-eye for durum production and home of a pasta-producing plant, has seen the ideal weather move west. 

 

[tomturbomatic]

My parents were students at the U of MN in the 30s until dad enlisted in the Army. Their favaroite restaurant in Minneapolis was the Cafe di Napoli and there was always a tablespoon provided at each place setting for winding spaghetti. That was where they learned about spoon-assisted pasta winding. Daddy continued to use the spoon for many years. I don't remember my mother doing it.

I, too, break the pasta in half just before putting it in the water.

 

[frigilux]

Tom--Funny you should mention Cafe de Napoli. Ah, the old days on Hennepin Avenue. I used to hang around downtown (bars, clubs, concerts, friends with warehouse apartments) when I was younger, and we always ate there. I was so bummed when it closed.

On breaking spaghetti: No, no, no!! Don't do it!

: )

 

[a440]

Mary Fiumara died 2-2-16 at the age of 88.

Great Tribute!

 

 

[cleanteamofny]

Thanks for posting!
I remember Mom calling us (my siblings and me) out the window in Brooklyn to come up and eat!

My she rests in the arms of the comforter!

 

[norgeway]

Re Italian Food

In my hometown , no one knew what spaghetti or lasagna was before the 50s, After WW2 my Dad played baseball for a Canadian team called the Alouettes.."Probably spelled it wrong" During that time he was in New York frequently and ate at a place called Rocco Cannellis, he fell in love with Italian food, so he along with his Brother and Mother, experimented with various recipes he brought back with him until Granny made pretty good sauce, She cooked pork chops with hers ,down thru the years the pork chops were dropped, but I grew up with homemade spaghetti sauce, Mothers 2 first cousins who were twins, both married Italian baseball players from New Jersey, so they brought more good recipes into the family.

 

[stan]

Around here

The Italians call suace with meat in it gravy.
The tradition has always started with cooking a roast. Searing it well on the outside. This is the base, and goes on from there. No Jared sauce to be used. And of course since we are in wine country, a little red wine is used as well. Rustichella d' abruzzo seems to be the preferred pasta..unless it's Malfatii's (popular here in the valley) same gravy, no pasta.

 

[vacerator]

Sauce, gravy, and

We call it Sugo also. Some say ragu'

 

[vacerator]

Gravy, etc......Laundress;

Rao's is acceptable for jar sauce. I make my own. Since Boston is the place, Lydia Bastiannich should do a tribute on PBS WGBH.
Laundress, Love Hyacinth also! Has Sheridan been behaving?